Bathroom renovations – they can be relatively painless, like when the bathroom is a rarely used powder room. OR, they can be a bit more involved, like when the bathroom in question is attached to your bedroom sanctuary or sends the entire family into your bathroom while their’s is torn apart.
The good news: you WILL survive your upcoming bathroom renovation. The better news: You’ll survive it with only a modicum of inconvenience if you’re prepared.
5 Ways To Prepare For a Bathroom Renovation
Consider the following as your “Bathroom Renovation Preparedness Guide”. Between this, and some deep breaths from time-to-time, you’ll come through the process swimmingly.
- Hire the right design/build team. Not all design and build teams are created equal. Your job is to find one that’s experienced, professional and has excellent communication skills. One of the reasons I advocate hiring a interior designer when performing a remodel or full-scale renovation is to keep things as stress-free as possible. Even the best construction companies can err on the side of less-is-more when it comes to client communication. This can mean you don’t always know exactly what is happening, when, which is a bit stressful when it’s your own home you’re talking about. By hiring an interior designer who has professional relationships with high-quality contractors, you gain the best of both worlds: clear communication and a solid design plan, combined with top-notch work.
- Create a communication plan. Even the most solid plans can be thrown off a bit depending on product availability or unanticipated discoveries in internal wall spaces. Make sure you and your contractor have a set plan for how communication re: scheduling or design changes will take place so you’re on the same page.
- Prepare for dust. No matter how careful you are, things are going to get dusty. From saw dust to drywall dust, it can be talcum powder-fine and will seep into the most unlikely of places. You can minimize its infiltration by using sheet plastic and tape to seal off adjacent hallways, doors, rooms, closets and so one. Your design/build team will typically secure the most obvious spots, but you’ll want to take care of any closets or dressers that may be affected to minimize the clean-up later. Also, buy an extra HVAC filter or two from your local hardware store. Once your bathroom remodel is complete, you’ll want to change the filter – and then change it again a month later – to keep all that particulate matter from circulating around your home.
- Set up another bathroom space. Depending on the scale of your bathroom remodeling project, you may be without a fully functional bathroom for up to three or four weeks. It’s time to set up a new bathroom space. If you have another full bath in the house, lucky you. Your biggest challenge may be setting a few new parameters for availability and use now that the whole family is sharing. If you are remodeling your only full-bath, you may need to be a little more creative. Most construction companies can rig a temporary toilet and shower area in another area of the house – garage, laundry room or basement.
- Expect the unexpected. We hinted at this in #2, but the reality is that it’s a rare remodeling project that moves forward without a hitch. There is usually at least one snafu – sometimes small and often not-so-small. Just be prepared and keep an open mind so you can work more cooperatively with the design/build team to problem solve.